A South Korean employee displays Australian beef at Lotte Mart, which suspended all sales of all US beef in South Korea after a case of mad cow disease was discovered in central California. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)

Need to know:
American beef producers could be in for trouble in Asia – again.

The ding to India's reputation as an emerging market powerhouse comes a surprise and reflects fears political gridlock could stymie efforts to trim deficits and spur growth, the Wall Street Journal said.

Just because:
Community banks bailed out by the government aren’t quite ready to repay Uncle Sam. Some banks say the cost of hanging on to the capital that helped them weather the depths of the financial crisis is worth it, Marketplace reported.

China’s rise. Europe’s debt crisis. Global trade flows. Currency wars. Supply, demand and the invisible hand. These are but a few of the economic, political and cultural forces that drive globalization – the story of our time. Macro decodes the many mysteries of the global economy and the money, people and motivations that help keep this complex world spinning.